Temperature responsive device



May 3, 1932. E. TYDEN TEMPERATURE RESPONS IVE DEVICE Filed June so, 1950Patented May 3, 1932 UNITED STATES mun man, 01 HASTINGS, TEMPERATUREBESPONSIVE DEVICE Application filed June 80,

The purpose of this invention is to provide an improvedtemperature-responsive device for controlling the operation of anyapparatus whose functions are required or conditioned upon theoccurrence of certain temperature conditions at the locality of thetemperature-responsive device. It is particularly designed forcontrolling the operation of a fire extinguishing apparatus installed ina 'buildin to be protected, and it is accordingly s own in the form anddimensioned suitable for installation in the apartment to be protected,in connection with a fire extinguishing apparatus ins'talled therein. It1 consists of the elements and features of construction shown anddescribed, as indicated 7 in the claims.

In the drawings Figure 1 is an elevation of an apparatus embodying theinvention shown in connection with the cooperating elements of a fireextinguishing installation.

Figure 2 is a part1 sectional view of the structure shown'in i re 1 uponan enlarged scale, section being made in vertical plane axial withrespect to the part indicated stall in Figure 1.

Figure 3 is a section at the line 3-3 on Figure 2. w The device of theinvention-may be described in general terms as consisting of two metalbars or rods of the same metal or metals, having substantially the samethermal coefficient, but of widely difierent cross section, the two barsbeing mounted side by side for like exposure to the local temperature,the bars being held fixed with respect to each other by supporting meansat one end and relatively movable longitudinally at their opposite ends;so that when a re id rise of tem rature occurs, the thinner ar beingquic y heated through its entire cross section, is elongated asubstantial amount before the router bar becomes heated through. a sucient portion of its diameter or thickness to manifest any appreciableelongation; and a movable part whose position at two ints in its lengthis determined by the position of the ends of the two bars re- 30spectively, will be displaced by movement of PATENT oFFrcs REISSUED1930. Serial Io. 464,946.

the point of action on it of the lesser bar; and the resulting change ofposition of said movable part is utilized to actuate a cooperating partof the instrument or apparatus which it is the function of thetemperatureresponsive device to control. a Referring to the drawin fordetail description :--The walls an? ceiling of an apartment in whichfire protective apparatus is installed and arranged to be controlled byon a device embodying this invention are indicated at A. Mounted nearthe ceiling of the apartment is a housing, H, substantially tubular, but0 n at the lowerside for the greater part 0 its length, as indicated ath, 66 said housing being mounted and secured in any convenient manner byattachment to the wall or ceiling of thea artment, as by hanIgI ers orbrackets, H Il The housing, carries a pair of metal rods, I and J, therod, '70 I, being of relatively large diameter, and the rod, J, beingrelatively slender. Both rods Y are made fast at one end in a cross bar72. proximate to a head plate, K of the housing in which the rods, I andJ are slidingly mounted at their ends beyond said cross bar. The housinghas mounted in it at the other end a bracket member, K, formed with aweb, is, which constitutes the head plate of the housing at that end andin which the rod, I, is fixed and the rod, J, carried slidingly. Thebracket, K, may constitute the support for a fitting, F, hereinafteridentified as part of the installation ,of the fire extinguishingapparatus with a member of which the device of the invention is tocooperate, ashereinafter explained. And as shown, said bracket isintegral with said fitting, F. The bracket is extended for affordingpivotal support, as seen at 37 for a weighted lever, 36, which extendsupwardly from its pivot with the wei ht, 35, overhanging from the pivot;and said weighted lever is held normally at the position indicatedagainst gravity by a latch member, 40, pi-voted at one end of the web,70, of the bracket, K, and having at the other end a catch nose, 41,which engages a catch, 42, (arried by the lever, .36, as seen in Figurer 7 At suitable place or places in the length of the rods, I and J, thehousing, H, is furnished with suitable guide bearing for both rods, asindicated by one such guide bearing, 45, to prevent the rods or eitherof them from sagging by their own weight, as they might be liable to dowhen heated.

The operation of this structure in its response to temperature, which isthat upon slow change of temperature the two rods, I and J, acquire thechanged temperature substantially at the same rate; and being of thesame metal they are lengthened or shortened equally in change oftemperature which occurs slowly. But in the case of temperature due tofire in the apartment and consequently taking place rapidly, the slenderrod becomes heated through so as to expand longitudinally before thelarger rod is nearly heated to more than a small fraction of itsdiameter, or before it is heated to a sufficient fraction of thediameter to cause it to show any appreciable elongation.

The latch member, 40, has near its pivot 2. depending lug, 46, whichcarries a screw, 47, for encountering the end of the rod, J, whichprotrudes through the web, is, of the bracket, K; said screw affordingattachment for one end of a spring, 48, attached at its other end to afixed stud, 49, and operating to hold the lug against the end of therod, J and with this construction it may be readily understood that whenthe rod, J, by its elongation, in advance of any substantial elongationof the rod, I, is thrust through the web, is, which is held by theheavier rod, I, unmoved in the housing, the engagement of the rod, J,with the end of the screw, 47,

in thelug, 46, of the latch causes the latch nose to be disengaged fromthe catch, 42, thus releasing the weighted lever 36, causing the weight,35, by a boss, 35*, with which it is provided in the center, toencounter a coopcrating member of the adjacently installed part of thefire extinguishing apparatus, and operate the latter for eitecting thedesired control of the fire extinguishing apparatus.

The particular character of these cooperating elements of the fireextinguishing apparatus, of course, form no part of this invention, butmay be described for the purpose of making clear the operation of thethermostatic temperature-responsive device; And the same are accordinglyshown in Figure 3, from which it may be understood that a pipe line, M,which serves as a conduit for fluid pressure, being in the particularfire extinguishing apparatus utilized for this illustration the airpressure in the discharge line of a dry pipe valve system, has mountedin it for controlling the air pressure or air flow therethrough, avalve, N, which is held closed by a displaceable strut, O, (as shown,displaceable by breaking) a thrust pin, P, carried by flexible orotherwise slightly mov able wall member of the valve chamber is arrangedat its inner end for breaking the strut, its outer end being exposed forencounter with the weight of the temperatureresponsive device when thelatter falls upon being released by the operation of said device, asabove described.

I claim:

1. A. temperature-responsive device'comprising a pair of bars ofsubstantial length, a supporting structure in which said bars aremounted extending longitudinally in the same general direction, one ofsaid bars being several times greater in cross section than the other,the supporting structure comprising a fixed head at each end, the twobars being mounted fixedly with respect to each other at their endportions which extend toward one of said fixed heads, the greater barbeing mounted fixedly at the other end in the other fixed head and the'lesser bar being mounted movable longitudinally with respect to saidother fixed head, and means for controlling the operation of anassociated apparatus. said means being carried by said supportingstructure and operatively associated with the lesser bar forlongitudinal movement thereby in the movement of the longitudinallymovable end portion of the latter due to its elongation in excess ofthat of the greater bar.

2. In the construction defined in claim 1, the supporting structurebeing a casing open at the lower side and closed at the upper side,whereby it constitutes a hood over the bars for receiving and holdingabout said bars hot air and gases due to fire in the vicinity of thestructure, the bars and said casing being arranged in a generallyhorizontally extending position.

3. The construction defined in claim 1, the apparatus-controlling meanscomprising first and second members both carried movably by thesupporting structure and normally engaged with each other againstrelative movement, the first member being operatively associated withthe movable end portion of the lesser bar for movement thereby in theelongation of the latter to disengagelsaid first member from the second.

4. A temperature-responsive device comprising a pair of bars ofsubstantial length, said bars being mounted substantially parallel toeach other, one of the bars being several times greater in cross sectionthan the other; a supporting structure in which both said bars aremounted and held fixed with respect to each other at one point in thelength of each bar; a support carried by said structure for the otherend of both bars to which support said end of the greater bar is fixed,and by which support the lesser bar is carried in the longitudinalmovement due to its elongation; a first movable member carried by thesupport and operatively associated with the lesser bar for movementthereby relatively to said support; a second movable member carried bythe support for automatic movement relatively thereto and releasablyconnected with the first mentioned barter preventing said automaticmovement, the connection between said members being arranged for releaseby the movement of the first mentioned member due to the elongation ofthe lesser bar by temperature rise.

5. 1h temperature-responsive device comprising a pair of metal bars ofsubstantial length, said bars being mounted substantially parallel toeach other, one of the bars being several times greater in cross sectionthan the other; a supporting structure in which both said bars aremounted and held lined with respect to each other atone end ol bothbars; a support carried by said structure for the other end of both barsto which support said end of the greater bar is tired and by whichsupport the lesser bar is carried in the movement of elongation, and amember carried by the support in a manner permitting automatic movementoit said member relatively to the support; a second member carried bythe support movable relatively thereto and operatively associated withsaid lesser bar for deriving movement from the movement of elongation ofthe latter, said second member being normally disengageably engaged withsaid automatically movable member preventing the automatic movement ofthe latter and arranged to be disengaged for releasing said member bythe movement derived from the elongation of said lesser bar.

6. A temperature-responsive device comprising a pair of metal bars ofsubstantial length, said bars being mounted substantially parallel toeach other, one of the bars being several times greater in cross sectionthan the other; a supporting structure in which both said bars aremounted and held lined with respect to each other at one end of bothbars, said structure comprising a support for the other end of both barsto which support said other end of the greater bar is fired and withrespect to which the lesser bar is free to move longitudinally whilesupp0rted thereby; a member carried by the supporting structureoperatively associated with the lesser bar for movement relatively tothesupport by the movement of the free end of sa1d lesser bar due to itselongation, and an automatically movable device arranged to be heldreleasably in fixed position by said member and adapted to be releasedfrom said fired position by the movement of said memher due to theelongation of the lesser bar.

with respect to each other at one end of both bars; a support carried bysaid structure for the other end of both bars to which support said endof thegreater bar is fixed, and by which support the lesser bar iscarried slidingly; a latch device pivotally mounted and operativelyassociated with said lesser bar so as to be moved upon a sudden rise intemperature, due to the more rapid elongation of the lesser bar; aweighted lever arranged to be held by engagement of said latch, themovement oi said pivoted member due to said elongation being in thedirection for disenga ing the latch to release the Weighted lever.

n'testimony whereof, I have hereunto set my hand at Chicago, Illinois,this 28th day of May, 1980.

EMIL TYDEN;

7. In a temperature-responsive device comprising a pair of metal bars ofsubstantial length, said bars being mounted substantially parallel toeach other, one of the bars be ing several times greater in crosssection than the other; a supporting structure in which both said barsare mountod and hold fixed

